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Marketing is the one function within the healthcare organization that receives the least amount of attention but can do the most damage to the bottom line if not handled effectively. Long gone are the meager tactics of direct mailers and patient reunions. The days of the patient newsletter are over--as they should be. I've been hard-pressed to find an office manager or a practice administrator ever tell me, "That newsletter we sent out last week on lowering cholesterol was so well-written that we got flooded with phone calls from our patients, and you know what? They actually came in and got tested again!" There must be a better way to address the needs of the potential patient base--patients who do not need your services now, but will in the future.